Charles Alexander Hooper selected for England while playing for Middlesex
Wanderers. Born 6th June 1869 in Eastington Glos. Died 16th September 1950 in
Buckinghamshire. It looks like he started at Clifton in the 1887-88 season. He appeared in the first 2 matches that Clifton played against Bristol.

INTERNATIONAL
RECORD:
English Caps 1894

Career
Record: P3, W1, D0, L2, Tries 0, Cons 0, Pen 0, DropG 0

6th January 1894 v
Wales (Upper Park, Birkenhead) W 24-3

3rd February 1894 v
Ireland (Blackheath) L 5-7

17th March 1894 v Scotland
(Raeburn Place, Edinburgh) L 0-6

OTHER
RECORD:
Barbarians Appearances 1891-93

Career
Record: P9, W1, D1, L7, Tries 4, Cons 0, Pen 0, DropG 0

31st March 1891 v Cardiff
L 3-7

1st April 1891 v Devonshire
W 11-0

26th December 1891
v Devonshire D 0-0

28th December 1891
v Bradford L 0-14

29th December 1891
v Huddersfield L 2-7

30th December 1891
v Swinton L 0-9

11th April 1892 v Corintians L 12-14

24th December 1892 v Leeds L 0-2

4th April 1893 v Newport L 3-8

Charles Alexander Hooper was educated at
CliftonCollege (Jan 1880-1888), where he was head of school, was a Cambridge Blue and
also played for Gloucestershire. A solicitor (1894-1914), he was a member of
England's first four-three quarters line against Wales in what was also their
only win during the 1894 campaign. He emigrated to Hong Kong in 1914 and served
in the Hong Kong Special Police Force during World War one. He scored 2 tries
for the Barbarians against Corinthians on 11th April 1892 and 2 against Devonshire
on 1st April 1891

Above dated 20th June 1887 congratulating Queen Victoria on the 50th anniversary of her reign. This year Clifton College also received its Royal Charter. Signed by Head Boy Charles Hooper.

Above Group Photograph entitled
'Hawks v. Inexpressibles', in cricket whites and blazers. Cambridge University
1890. Charles Hooper at back. By permission of the Master and Fellows of St
John's College, Cambridge.

In 1891 Charles Hooper was living with his parents at Eastington Lodge, Gloucestershire. They were

Name

Relation

Age

Occupation

Where born

Charles H. Hooper

Head

54

Woollen Cloth Manufacturer

Eastington, Gloucestershire

Julia Hooper

Wife

47

Stoke Newington, London

Charles A. Hooper

Son

22

Undergraduate, Cambridge

Eastington, Gloucestershire

Arthur B. Hooper

Son

20

Manufacturers Assistant

Eastington, Gloucestershire

Rosina C. Perkins

Serv

26

Cook, Domestic Servant

Alveston, Gloucestershire

Louisa Burnett

Serv

26

Parlourmaid, Domestic Servant

Bristol

Naomi Jeremiah

Serv

26

Housemaid, Domestic Servant

Monmouth, Abergavenny

Elizabeth Elliot

Serv

20

Kitchenmaid, Domestic Servant

Uley, Gloucestershire

Eastington Lodge became known as The Rectory. His father Charles Henry Hooper managed 3 Mills for Hicks Bros. in Eastington.

Above Barbarians v Huddersfield, 29th December
1891 with Clifton players Richard Budworth and Charles Hooper. A mix of shirts,
Budworth is wearing the old Barbarians shirt (as well as an England cap) with
the skull and crossbones and other players are wearing shirts with the new (present
day) badge that has the BRC letters.

Above a programme for the first international
cap gained by Charles Hooper. It lists him as playing for Gloucestershire .
The IRB Yearbook says Middlesex Wanderers. This match took place a year after
Wales had won their first Triple Crown. This England side included 7 new caps.
Notice the number of Yorkshire players in the England side. A year later came
the Northern Union and the split. England lost their captain Richard Lockwood
and many others.

Above the England team that beat Wales 24-3
on January 6th 1894 with Charles Hooper. Frank Soane is also listed for his
county although he did in fact play for Bath. This was to be England’s only international match staged in Birkenhead. The teams that the players played for (as listed
by the IRB) are below the picture. The team Heckmondwike is in West Yorkshire.
The England Captain Dicky Lockwood owned a Heckmondwikepub, called The Queen, but was forced to leave the pub as a bankrupt,
returning to manual labour in 1897. He became Chairman of the Rugby League in
1945. Rockliff are now known as Whitley Bay Rockcliff RFC which produces a club
magazine called "The Severed Leg".

Action from the 1894 England
v Wales match from the Illustrated London News. The caption read "Wells
at last came away with a fine run, three parts the length of the field, and
when collared, passed to Hooper; who transferred when a few yards from the goal
line, to Murfitt, for the latter to run in between the posts." Although
the man passing the ball looks nothing like Charles Hooper.

Above a programme for the second international
cap gained by Charles Hooper, v Ireland on 3rd Feb 1894 at Blackheath. 20,000
people attended the match.

Above the Richmond side
of 1895 with ex Clifton players Charles Hooper and Edwin Field. Both had previously
played for Middlesex Wanderers which had recently folded. Prior to that both
had played for Cambridge University. This photograpgh appeared as part of a
series called "Famous Footballers" and was issued by a National Newspaper
in 1895.

There is an account of 3 games Middlesex Wanderers played againt Clifton College here with Charles Hooper and his brothers.

He married Frances ? between 1881 and 1891

In 1901 he was living at 3 Bradfield Gardens, Kew, London

Name

Relation

Age

Occupation

Where born

Charles Hooper

Head

31

Solicitor Managing Clerk Law

Eastington, Gloucestershire

Frances Hooper

Wife

31

Hounslow, Middlesex

May Henny

Servant

21

General Servant Domestic

Manchester

In 1911 The Hoopers had been married for 10 years with no children. They were living at 24 White Rock, Hastings, Sussex.at

Name

Relation

Age

Occupation

Where born

Charles Alexander Hooper

Head

42

Managing Clerk Solicitors

Eastington, Gloucestershire

Frances Hooper

Wife

41

Hounslow, Middlesex

Lilian Munn

Servant

22

General Servant Domestic

Battle, Sussex

Above his signature

He emigrated to Hong Kong in 1914 and served in the Hong Kong Special Police Force during World War one.

Charles Alexander Hooper
died on September 16th 1950. His obituary appeared in The Times on September
19th 1950 and said

Above the Ethorpe Hotel,
Gerrards Cross where Charles Hooper lived before his death in hospital. Now a Chef & Brewer http://www.ethorpehotel.com He died at The Canadian Red Cross Memorial Hospital in Taplow, Buckinghamshire.